Today would have been Mom’s 90th birthday. The photo of Mom and Dad at Niagara Falls was taken by an unknown photographer.
Mom was a special person who met my father during World War II. In those days, marriages between Australians and Americans were virtually unheard of. No one really traveled between the U.S. and Australia. Today the flight time in jets from New York to Sydney is about 24 hours. Imagine the time it took in the 40’s to get there in a prop plane! During the war, Dad worked for Eastern Aircraft (owned by GM) and was on loan to the British Navy. He was an expert on the aircraft of that era and two of the books he wrote are in The Library of Congress. An avid photographer, we still have the photographs he took of a kamikaze attack on his aircraft carrier. Fortunately, he and many of his crew-mates survived and they were able to put in to Sydney Harbour. As the story goes, he then went to pick up a paycheck at Holden (GM Australia). Well he met my Mom and the rest is history. Dad knew she was his soul-mate from the minute he laid eyes on her. He really wanted her and spent countless hours having the American family write letters to Mom about what a great guy he was. She finally agreed to marry him. Now keep in mind, that after the war, the United States would not permit travel here. The government at the time was afraid we would be overwhelmed with refuges. True love overcomes all and Dad snuck Mom into the United States. Australia is a Commonwealth Country as is Canada. Mom flew to Vancouver Canada – a trip that took days. They boarded the Canadian Pacific Railway and travelled to a stop just north of Buffalo. There, Dad had an old friend who owned a farm that spanned the border. They crossed into the United States on that private land and were married shortly thereafter. It seems like Dad had friends everywhere because they went to Montreal a couple of months later. His buddy had prepared the required paperwork and they entered the United States legally. Mom was very proud of her homeland, Australia, and never gave up her citizenship. She did however get a green card. In this time, we talk a lot about illegal aliens. Well, Mom was one of the first! In 1987, I had the great fortune to take her back to Australia for the first time since she left in 1946.
Today I would ask you to help me celebrate the life of my Mother. Some days we shed tears while on others we smile as we remember her. I would like to take you away for a short period of time - to take you on a journey.
Please think about a day in the past that was filled with fun, exhilaration, and excitement. A day that you had not a care in the world. A day that you were totally immersed in that moment.
Close your eyes - yes, close your eyes and think about it. It’s all right to smile; in fact I would like you to remember it so well that you can’t help but smile. Perhaps it was a day outdoors, skiing, hiking, fishing, swimming, biking, a back yard barbecue, a concert, a play, the joy of a newborn, whatever it was, do you remember it well? Think about it; re-live it.
You may have been the first up the ski lift after a night of newly fallen snow. As you got off the lift, you turned to head down the mountain. You paused at the top of your favorite trail and looked out over the valleys below you, covered with a fresh blanket of snow. The sun shimmered off the snow crystals like a billion diamonds. The sky was blue and clear, the scent in the air was indescribably clean and crisp. As you headed down the trails, you made first tracks and the only sound was that of the powder under your skis.
It may have been a walk in the fall woods. As you walked up that old logging trail, the sound of birds and scolding squirrels, the crunch of leaves under your feet, that heady smell of moss, freshly fallen leaves and fall flowers permeated your senses. The trees were painted in their autumn colors, the bright yellows of the birches, the intense reds of the maples and the deep greens of the pines, hemlock and cedar.
Was it a day at an amusement park when you went on every ride at least once, except the roller coaster? You did that three times! The sounds of the calliope in the background, screams of delight from children of all ages, the aromas of hot dogs, onion rings, fried dough and cotton candy all filled the air.
Or was it a day on the water or at the beach? Soft warm sand to sink your feet into, clear cool water to swim in, the smell of the salty air, hearing the gulls over head, listening to the rhythm of the waves coming into shore. Were you on a boat? It doesn’t really matter what kind it was. Perhaps a sailboat cutting gracefully across Sydney Harbour, the wind singing in the rigging, the lines slapping on the mast, heeling over just enough to make it interesting but still allowing you to relax.
It makes no difference what your day was made up of, what does matter is that even today you can see in your mind your surroundings, remember the sounds, the smells and re-live those emotions.
Do you remember what happened at the end of that day? I may not have been there but I’ll bet that sunset arrived. And with the sunset, you picked up, went home, set anchor or otherwise ended your day. You knew that wonderful day was going to end but you didn’t think about it until the sun was low on the horizon.
You could not stop the sun from setting, but you will always have the memories. And just as we cannot stop the sun from setting, we cannot stop the process of life. With Mom’s passing she was relieved of her pain and suffering.
In the coming days, weeks, months and years, when a thought of Mom comes to mind, let the memories bring warmth to your heart and a smile to your face, for we are fortunate to have had her.
While Mom may be physically gone, she will always be with us as long as we keep her alive in our minds, in our hearts, and in our souls.
God bless you Mom, we miss you.
Mom was a special person who met my father during World War II. In those days, marriages between Australians and Americans were virtually unheard of. No one really traveled between the U.S. and Australia. Today the flight time in jets from New York to Sydney is about 24 hours. Imagine the time it took in the 40’s to get there in a prop plane! During the war, Dad worked for Eastern Aircraft (owned by GM) and was on loan to the British Navy. He was an expert on the aircraft of that era and two of the books he wrote are in The Library of Congress. An avid photographer, we still have the photographs he took of a kamikaze attack on his aircraft carrier. Fortunately, he and many of his crew-mates survived and they were able to put in to Sydney Harbour. As the story goes, he then went to pick up a paycheck at Holden (GM Australia). Well he met my Mom and the rest is history. Dad knew she was his soul-mate from the minute he laid eyes on her. He really wanted her and spent countless hours having the American family write letters to Mom about what a great guy he was. She finally agreed to marry him. Now keep in mind, that after the war, the United States would not permit travel here. The government at the time was afraid we would be overwhelmed with refuges. True love overcomes all and Dad snuck Mom into the United States. Australia is a Commonwealth Country as is Canada. Mom flew to Vancouver Canada – a trip that took days. They boarded the Canadian Pacific Railway and travelled to a stop just north of Buffalo. There, Dad had an old friend who owned a farm that spanned the border. They crossed into the United States on that private land and were married shortly thereafter. It seems like Dad had friends everywhere because they went to Montreal a couple of months later. His buddy had prepared the required paperwork and they entered the United States legally. Mom was very proud of her homeland, Australia, and never gave up her citizenship. She did however get a green card. In this time, we talk a lot about illegal aliens. Well, Mom was one of the first! In 1987, I had the great fortune to take her back to Australia for the first time since she left in 1946.
Today I would ask you to help me celebrate the life of my Mother. Some days we shed tears while on others we smile as we remember her. I would like to take you away for a short period of time - to take you on a journey.
Please think about a day in the past that was filled with fun, exhilaration, and excitement. A day that you had not a care in the world. A day that you were totally immersed in that moment.
Close your eyes - yes, close your eyes and think about it. It’s all right to smile; in fact I would like you to remember it so well that you can’t help but smile. Perhaps it was a day outdoors, skiing, hiking, fishing, swimming, biking, a back yard barbecue, a concert, a play, the joy of a newborn, whatever it was, do you remember it well? Think about it; re-live it.
You may have been the first up the ski lift after a night of newly fallen snow. As you got off the lift, you turned to head down the mountain. You paused at the top of your favorite trail and looked out over the valleys below you, covered with a fresh blanket of snow. The sun shimmered off the snow crystals like a billion diamonds. The sky was blue and clear, the scent in the air was indescribably clean and crisp. As you headed down the trails, you made first tracks and the only sound was that of the powder under your skis.
It may have been a walk in the fall woods. As you walked up that old logging trail, the sound of birds and scolding squirrels, the crunch of leaves under your feet, that heady smell of moss, freshly fallen leaves and fall flowers permeated your senses. The trees were painted in their autumn colors, the bright yellows of the birches, the intense reds of the maples and the deep greens of the pines, hemlock and cedar.
Was it a day at an amusement park when you went on every ride at least once, except the roller coaster? You did that three times! The sounds of the calliope in the background, screams of delight from children of all ages, the aromas of hot dogs, onion rings, fried dough and cotton candy all filled the air.
Or was it a day on the water or at the beach? Soft warm sand to sink your feet into, clear cool water to swim in, the smell of the salty air, hearing the gulls over head, listening to the rhythm of the waves coming into shore. Were you on a boat? It doesn’t really matter what kind it was. Perhaps a sailboat cutting gracefully across Sydney Harbour, the wind singing in the rigging, the lines slapping on the mast, heeling over just enough to make it interesting but still allowing you to relax.
It makes no difference what your day was made up of, what does matter is that even today you can see in your mind your surroundings, remember the sounds, the smells and re-live those emotions.
Do you remember what happened at the end of that day? I may not have been there but I’ll bet that sunset arrived. And with the sunset, you picked up, went home, set anchor or otherwise ended your day. You knew that wonderful day was going to end but you didn’t think about it until the sun was low on the horizon.
You could not stop the sun from setting, but you will always have the memories. And just as we cannot stop the sun from setting, we cannot stop the process of life. With Mom’s passing she was relieved of her pain and suffering.
In the coming days, weeks, months and years, when a thought of Mom comes to mind, let the memories bring warmth to your heart and a smile to your face, for we are fortunate to have had her.
While Mom may be physically gone, she will always be with us as long as we keep her alive in our minds, in our hearts, and in our souls.
God bless you Mom, we miss you.
